Recycling PCBs for nanoparticles production with potential applications in cosmetics, cement manufacturing, and CO2 capture

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2025

Authors

Aurora Futuro Silva (Author) FEUP; Lidia Cunha (Author) Other; José Soeiro Carvalho (Author) FEUP; Joana Monteiro (Author) Other; Rui Sousa (Author) FEUP; Maria João Regufe (Author) FEUP

Journal

Title: Waste Management

Vol. 191

Pages: 308-323

ISSN: 0956-053X

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 0 Citations

Scopus - 0 Citations

Associated Projects

INN4MIN - Desenvolvimento de metodologias inovadoras e sustentáveis aplicadas à recuperação de ouro e elementos críticos em minérios e placas de circuito integradas utilizadas

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-017-GXH

DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2024.11.018

Abstract (EN): Electronic waste (e-waste) is a global problem, and many countries have established laws and regulations to promote its proper disposal and recycling. E-waste contains a significant content of printed circuit boards (PCBs), composed of metals and other valuable metals that may become scarce in Earth's crust - Copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), gold (Au), silver (Ag), palladium (Pd), and others. The main objective of this review is to explore the potential for producing nanoparticles (NPs) from the metals extracted through PCB recycling, with applications in the cosmetics, cement manufacturing, and carbon dioxide (CO2) capture industries. For this purpose, the recycling methods for PCBs e-waste, using physical processes (gravity, magnetic, electrostatic separation, and flotation), metallurgical processes (pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy), and purification techniques to obtain an enriched metal solution for the subsequent nanoparticle synthesis was performed. The production of NPs is a novel approach to obtain value-added products for industry. Therefore, recent research from pre-treatment of PCBs to NPs production is summarized, aligning with the circular economy principles and sustainable development goals. Towards this end, wasted PCBs can be transformed into valuable materials with innovative and potential applications in cosmetics, cement manufacturing, and carbon dioxide capture, contributing to a more sustainable future.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 16